Should I create more than 1 account?

Ok so here’s the deal…I live in the USA. My fiance lives in the UK. We will both be doing solo sits when apart and sits as a couple when together. Should we create 3 accounts? Help! Thanks!!

If you want the option of being able to do solo sits concurrently, two accounts will work. One of you can add the other as a second person on your account, so when you’re applying to sit as a couple you can use that account and specify in your letter to the homeowner (HO) whether the application is for one or both of you. I very infrequently sit with my husband. He is on my profile and I state in my applications whether I’m applying for one or both of us.

If you will never be sitting solo at the same time, you could actually use one account for both of you and state in the application letter that you’re applying as a couple and if not, which one of you is applying to sit.

On second thought, I think you should probably have two accounts because of the reviews. If one of you gets a less than favorable review, which we hope never happens, it won’t be part of both of your profiles. It will only reflect on one of you.

So you do a super duper job once you begin sitting, read as much info and advice as you can here on the forum. This will help prepare you to be an excellent sitter. Good reviews beget more sits which beget more good reviews.

My philosophy is to make the HO feel like they got the better end of this deal.

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Hi @sarahmarye welcome to our community forum and soon to TrustedHousesitters I am going to tag @Therese who will advise you on the best way to ensure your sitting runs smoothly and that you have the best chance of success.

Couples can join on one account and if they sit solo then in their application they need to advise the owner that they are applying as a single sitters, the other piece of advice is to state in the profile "Sometimes we choose to travel and sit separately however if you are sitting independently of one another, at the same time then you will need to create two accounts. …

Therese will connect when she is back online and we look forward to sharing in your new TrustedHousesitters Trans Atlantic Adventure.

Angela and the Team

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Thanks @mars ! I wasn’t sure how HO might respond depending on how I approach it but hearing your advise regarding reviews helps quite a bit!! I think we’ll go with 2 accounts.
This way we can sit simultaneously solo or sit together as a couple depending on the specifics.

My plan is to absorb as much info as possible in order to make sure I am offering the highest level experience for the HO.

One question…has it been your experience that HO prefer solo or couples? or no preference noticed?

Thanks!

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Hi @sarahmarye , I almost always sit solo and I’ve never had any HO express any objection or preference for a couple. That being said, some sits’ can have quite a few animals, a house that requires a lot of care or two or more large dogs. These would be much easier for the two of you together and some listings state they are only looking for a couple. You will have plenty to choose from whether you’re sitting on your own or with your fiancé.

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@sarahmarye Hi and welcome to TrustedHousesitters! I’m both a HO and sitter on this site, but I’ll be answering your question with my HO hat on :slight_smile: We have 5 pets (2 dogs and 3 cats) and so we greatly prefer couples, partners or friends to pet sit for us, especially if we are gone for more than a week and out-of-country. One reason is the number of pets we have(two of which require medication twice a day), but the main reason is if anything happens to a single sitter health-wise (especially in Covid Times) during the sit, at least there will be a back-up for caring for the pets. Early on we had a lovely sitter who slipped on our stairs and twisted her ankle. She was still able to hobble about and feed them all (so basic care handled), but was unable to walk the dogs for almost a week. They were wound up like tops by time we returned home! Since that time we have always preferred two sitters. On the occasion that it is just a short sit and we are near to home if an emergency return is needed, we will invite single sitters who feel that 5 pets isn’t too overwhelming!

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Hi @sarahmarye … as @Angela_L mentions, there are many couples, who sometimes sit solo, and on their initial application mention this upfront. You could use one account for both of you, however, it is important that you are not overlapping your sit dates on solo sits. If you do have two accounts, do remember that if you decide to mainly sit together in the future, there is not a facility to merge your two accounts. You would need to let the one account and its reviews expire and continue on only one account. So a little food for thought as to how you want to continue going forward. Hope this helps. Therese

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Thank you so much for the great advice @Therese. The forum has been great at helping us decide what to do and we’ve opted for a single account for the 2 of us! :couple:

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Thanks @NomtnClowns! Definitely going with a couples account!